Oh, Canada! No, we aren’t singing their anthem . . . but we are breathing in their air, and that hasn’t been a good thing. If you have noticed the increase of smokey days around Pennsylvania this summer, we can thank our neighbors to the north. While you may feel you can breathe easy indoors or in your car as long as the windows are up, you would be wrong. When smoke particles in the atmosphere increase, breathing them in can cause a lot of health damage. That is why using HEPA filters in your homes and cars is critical.
The Importance of Filtered Air
Replacing your vehicle’s cabin air filter and the engine air filter is vital for breathing, even if there isn’t an active wildfire nearby, but it is also critical for the health of your vehicle. When you neglect your cars’s air filters, a few things can happen:
- If you breathe in air that has not been filtered or is filtered through a dirty cabin air filter, you may notice that you get sick more often, have difficulty taking deep breaths, and have allergies that are exacerbated. Your car’s health may be at risk, too.
- Not only can the dirty air filter cause damage to spark plugs but dirty air will cause the engine to run and idle roughly.
- A clean engine air filter actually helps contribute to good fuel economy. A dirty or damaged engine air filter makes your engine work harder, meaning it uses more fuel. An engine needs nearly 10,000 quarts of oxygen to burn a quart of fuel . . . so give it some clean air!
- Because your engine works harder when it doesn’t have clean air, your engine life may be dramatically reduced. . . and those things aren’t cheap!
When to Replace Your Air Filter
At Tommy’s Automotive, we always check your air filter during every auto service. In general, we recommend replacing air filters (even if they look like they are okay) every 12,000 miles (or every 3-6 months depending on how much you drive). City drivers may need to replace these more often as stop-and-go traffic can increase air emissions and dirty up your filter faster (we’re talkin’ to you, Philly).
If your vehicle has been in an accident or you have taken it off-roading where the air filter may have gotten damaged or dirty – it is worth a check or replacement. The benefit is that checking your air filter is quick and replacing them is affordable. There is no reason not to!
Get a Tune-Up at Tommy’s
Whatever vehicle service you may need, our team is experienced and ready to help. We can explain further why replacing air filters is important, and we can also give you other great tips to keep your vehicle in tip-top shape. It all starts with routine maintenance, so get on the schedule today.